


It's Always Just a Scratch

by karathegoddess



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Adorable, Colonist (Mass Effect), F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Mass Effect 3: Leviathan, Shepard has thalassaphobia, War Hero (Mass Effect)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:07:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25891066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karathegoddess/pseuds/karathegoddess
Summary: Shepard protects the galaxy and everyone in it, often forgetting herself in the process. Different instances where Shepard forgets, unintentionally worrying a certain Turian. But Garrus makes sure Shepard is okay every time. He always does.
Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian
Kudos: 31





	1. What Love Does

The dry air was heavy. As though it had a weight to it. Shepard walked with her gun at the ready. Her black armour was stifling in the heat, but she was accustomed to it. Her thick copper curls had been slicked back into a military bun and she forced herself to ignore the sweat that beaded on the back of her neck under her hair. Shepard consciously positioned herself a few steps ahead of the doctor. Tali and Garrus followed behind, keeping her back covered. Each time their boots hit the ground, a cloud of dust bellowed around their legs. Shepard resisted the urge to cough as the powdery dirt coated her lungs, despite that the other three who traveled with her had been hacking the whole trip.  
“It may sound strange, but I’m certain it affects people and their behaviour. I’ve only had a short period of time to study it.” The doctor informed her. Shepard wasn’t sure what was more strange. The fact that this orb could drastically affect people’s behaviour or the fact that Shepard didn’t find it strange at all. Especially not after witnessing a plant control the minds of an entire civilization on Feros all those years back. And just the fact she was even still breathing.  
“No, not strange at all.” Shepard replied. “Did you find anything?”  
“Not much, but I did find something about the energy it generates.” The doctor answered. Shepard caught a glimpse just passed the rocks.  
“Get down!” She whispered urgently, as she pushed the doctor behind a massive boulder. The glowing orb crackled with a blue energy far beyond even what Shepards bionics were capable of. The blue energy formed a beam to a reaper as it seemingly absorbed its power. Not good. Not good at all.  
“What are they doing?”  
“They’ve activated it. I never imagined anything-” The doctor froze and Shepard turned to see what had her stop so abruptly. The doctor's brown eyes hazed over, appearing vacant and glassy. Shepard watched in alarm as she began to walk forward.  
“Doctor!” She hissed desperately. But she continued, Shepard having no choice but to follow, coming into the line of sight of the metal monsters collecting the energy. She placed a firm hand on the doctor's shoulder ready to pull her back, but Shepard feared hurting her as her stance had become unbreakable.  
“They’ve learned so well. The Darkness must not be reached.” The reapers had spotted them and shots echoed in the desert, since the doctor wouldn’t budge, Shepard stepped in front quickly. She felt the air leave her lungs when it pelted her in the chest, but she didn’t fall. Her armour had protected her. Still hurt like a bitch.  
“Shepard!” Garrus’ call was unable to disguise the concern it was coated in. Shepard wasn’t going to leave the Doctor to die, but Garrus running over wouldn’t solve anything.  
“Take it out!” Shepard demanded, her hand still grasped rightly around the doctor's shoulder.  
“Got it!” Tali responded. A few shots sounded from her gun and the orb was hit with precision. It’s blue electricity flickered and died like a shoddy lightbulb. The doctor gasped and collapsed, Shepard narrowly catching her.  
“You okay?” Shepard asked. The doctor couldn’t find any words and only shook her head. “Cortez! I have Ann Bryson. Need a pick up!”  
“On my way, Commander!”  
“Look at me,” Shepard said to the Doctor. “ You see the shuttle. Run, don’t look back.” Her breathing was still ragged, but she managed to nod.  
“Okay. Yes.” Shepard’s chest ached as she turned to take on her attackers. Garrus stayed obnoxiously close to her. To the point in which Shepard had to bark an order to help Tali. When that proved in vain, Shepard decided to get the Quarian to them.  
“Tali! Over here, now!” The yell caused Shepard to wince, but she continued firing. When the last enemy fell, Shepard wanted to chew out Garrus, but she stopped herself for two reasons. First off, because it would hurt far too much to be worth it and rolls reversed, she couldn’t say with confidence she wouldn’t act the same way. Garrus scanned her anxiously.  
“I get it, I do. But don’t leave Tali or any other of our people hanging like that. You hear?” Shepard reprimanded, but she said it soft and sympathetic. He nodded once. “You owe Tali an apology when we get back to Normandy.” Shepard placed a hand over her chestplate and walked past him.  
“Cortez. We’re done here.”  
“Pulling up right now, Commander.” They boarded the ship and Shepard walked to the room Garrus hung out in, almost instinctively, forgetting she was supposed to be a little more upset with him. But her chest hurt and she was too tired to turn back now. So she flopped on the chair next to the orange computer screens. Shepard still felt like the air hadn’t returned to her lungs since it had been knocked out. She fumbled with the chestplate before giving up, Garrus immediately went to help, but Shepard held up a hand.  
“No- not until you apologise to Tali.” Shepard panted.  
“I’ll apologize I swear, but Shepard I-”  
“After. Then you can help and take care of me to your heart's content.” Shepard stood her ground. Garrus nodded and left. He wasn’t gone for too long. He returned about five minutes later with some gauze and disinfectant.  
“She appreciated the apology, but was frankly pissed that you waited for treatment on her behalf.” Garrus said, unattaching the bulletproof chest piece. Shepard grunted softly. Without the armour, she felt like she could actually breath again. Underneath was a black N7 tank top. Above Shepard’s left breast was a swelling bruise. It was black, blue, and purple, but in the center was a bloody weeping abrasion. The wound as a whole was the size of Shepard’s palm. He gingerly slid her shirt and bra strap down her bicep, his fingers lightly brushing her skin. Garrus knelt down in front of the chair and cleaned the cut, the bubbling peroxide stung greatly, but Shepard just gritted her teeth. She watched Garrus’ look of concentration.  
“Shepard, I admit, I was worried about you on that digsite.”  
“Really? I didn’t notice.” She joked. Garrus chuckled lightly.  
“I deserved that. Look, things got pretty hectic, but I’m not used to feeling like that. But that’s what love does. Turns a guy like me into a nervous wreck with something to lose and the aim to make sure he doesn’t. Nobody better hurt you, is all I’m saying.”  
“Garrus, it's just a scratch. I’m okay.” Shepard said, putting her hand on his cheek. He breathed a laugh as he applied a cool ointment to the abrasion.  
“I know. It’s always just a scratch with you, though.” He said, taping the gauze and gently lifting the straps back over her shoulder. Shepard leaned forward and pressed her head against his. She kissed him softly, his lips still salty from the sand. Garrus tucked a loose curl behind her ear. The two of them savored the moment. Memorizing every part of each other. After what felt like an eternity of not nearly enough time, Shepard sighed.  
“I want to go check on Ann. Make sure she’s okay.”  
“Alright, but Shepard. You might not make sure you are okay, but I will. I always will.” Garrus said.  
“I know.” Shepard smiled with an impossible amount of fondness. Garrus returned the look as Shepard stood and left the room.


	2. In the Depths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The way home is through Leviathan, but the mech isn't as durable as the crew had hoped. After a close call, Shepard as to deal with the after effects, but Garrus is there to make sure she's okay.

The rain poured down in sheets. Icy droplets dripped down Shepards forehead. The sound patterned on the platform. Shepard had always enjoyed a cool rain. She found it soothing. Garrus had found and sent her a playlist of rain sound vids to listen to and although it wasn’t quite the same, she had appreciated the thought and did utilize them for sleep. But as of this moment, she couldn’t enjoy the drizzle that dampened her curls.   
“Status.”   
“It’s a mess, Commander. That pulse knocked her right out of the air. It’s not going anywhere.” Cortez reported. Tali tilted her head up as if to find the invisible pulse.   
“Can the Normandy extract us?” She asked. Cortez shook his head quickly.   
“Same thing would happen to her and the landing wouldn't be as pretty. I’d say Leviathan have some sort of defence system in place.” Before Shepard could respond a massive meteor like ball hurdled through the air and crashed a few yards away. The shriveled cybernetic zombies emerged. They stood ready to set their sights on them. Tali shot a few of them before they could even get on their feet. Shepard nodded a thanks.   
“Then we aren’t getting out of here until we find it. So how do we do that?” Her voice was stern, but she had no appearance of fear. Just focusing on what had to be done next. Cortez pondered a moment. He then turned and crawled under the barrier and pointed to a large storage case.   
“Well, you might be able to use one of the mechs. Looks like it’s rigged for diving.”   
“Go underwater? In that thing?” The Commander tried to mask her fear with annoyance to little avail.   
“It can handle the depth. I’m not saying it’ll be easy...but I don’t see any other options Commander. It’s a tritan grade. Military model repurposed for deep sea exploration. As long as the sea water hasn't corroded it, it should be good to go.”  
“As long as.” Shepard repeated. “Well if that’s what we have to do, let’s get started.” Tali and Garrus had been keeping the Husks at bay, but had still been listening in. Garrus stopped firing and turned to Shepard.   
“Hold on a second. Are we actually considering.” He asked. Shepard knew what he was thinking. She had told him a few times. The first human spectre, the great Commander Shepard who kept Elysium standing single handedly during the Skyllian Blitz, was terrified of the ocean. Shepard had agreed to go down despite wanting to curl up in a ball at the mere thought.   
“First, we’ll need to restore power to get that cargo door open.”  
“How?” Shepard ignored. Tali’s frown couldn’t be seen under her mask, but everyone knew it was visible.  
“I guess we are.” she answered Garrus.   
“The ships are equipped with batteries. We use them for emergency repairs. We can strip those from the shuttle to use for juice. Hang on, I’ll get you started.” Cortez helped as Garrus, Tali, and their Commander held enemies at bay. After a deafening amount of shots, they were rewarded by the cargo door parting.   
Shepard tested the mech, trying to get a handle on the controls and feel of the machines.   
“Alright, Commander, let’s get you out there and I’ll do a systems check.” Cortez said. Garrus approached shaking his head.   
“Look, Shepard, I’m all for crazy ideas, but this ones off the charts.” He insisted. Shepard popped the hatch. His mandibles quivered as if in fear and his whole face was washed in worry.   
“I’ve come too far to stop now. Besides, the way home is through Leviathan.”  
“Okay, ceals check out, oxygen is nominal, systems are ago. It’s as ready as I can make it.” Shepard looked at the ocean waves and felt her stomach knot, but then her eyes landed on Cortez and Tali. And Garrus. She took a deep breath.   
“Let’s go.” she said. Garrus peered up at her with puppy dog eyes.   
“But Shepard-”  
“I’ll be fine, Garrus.” She regretted the tone she used. The one that made it sound more like an order than reassurance. The one that Garrus knew he could only nod to since it’s sharp inflection made it clear the time for arguing was over. His shoulders slumped as he walked away reluctantly. She appreciated that as much as he disagreed, he still obeyed. “Closing hatch. Testing systems.” she announced.   
“Testing comm link.” Cortez said.   
“I read you, loud and clear.” She said. Adrenaline coursed through her as she walked the mech to the edge and squeezed her eyes shut. “Commencing dive in 3...2...1.” With that she plunged into the water. It bubbled around her as the weight of the mech sank. Large pieces of metal and remnants of lost ships could be made out through the inky water. Shepard felt very small as the ocean seemed to stretch out in every direction so far that darkness limited her vision.   
“Suit holding up, Commander?” Cortez on the comm made her jump.   
“Yeah, looks good so far.” she said, trying not to think about the durability of the mech.   
“I’m getting some interference on this thing. Hang on.”   
“Copy that.”   
“Commander, can you read me? We’re losing your signal. Something is blocking your comm. Please respond.” Cortez’s voice was harmonized with static. Without warning the comm’s light went out. Shepard felt the panic rising in her.   
“Cortez? Cortez?!” She waited, but only brief crackles followed by a hollow silence responded. “Shit!” She cursed. She didn’t want to be in the vast dark depths without any way to communicate. Communication had been one of the only ways she’d held it together. Garrus was probably freaking out. Hell, she was freaking out. Worst of all if she didn’t make it back up there, her soldiers would all be stuck. She took a deep breath and fumbled in the dark for the flashlight button. It’s beam cut through the pitch black water like a sharp knife.   
Shepard sunk deeper into the abyss, the water felt neverending. Her hands shook and her heart pulsed in strange places, the beat drumming in her ears. The mech had an illusion of hovering as it descended.  
It was hard to think of anything except those terrifying three long weeks Shepard had bobbed in an ocean just as enormous after her escape from her slave master on Minidor. All she could think of was when she had once clutched the piece of boat with her bloody splintered hands as the murky black ocean only swallowed her further down its cosmic throat. Shepard heard a shatter that made her stomach to a backflip and the one thing keeping her sane, the flashlight turned off. Unfortunately, it was an old mech. Left with only the blue computer screen for light, she felt around the hatch. It had splintered there too. She froze. But her oxygen was still stable and she hadn’t been crushed, so it must not have been too bad. Shepard figured it must have been at least an hour when her mech’s metal legs hit the solid ground.   
“Not sure if you can read me up there. But, it looks like I’ve finished the major decent. Can’t see much from here.” She said. “The suit is...holding up. Emergency systems have come online. Life support is operational. Scanner indicated the probes below my position. Looking for a way down.” Even if part of Shepard knew Cortez couldn’t hear her, it calmed her down significantly to lay out an actual objective and remind herself that she could still breath in the metal suit.   
She walked through the coral and past shadowy reefs sending her flares to light up the inky ocean floor. Shepard reached another drop off and once she felt her teeth rattle from the impact of that drop, she knew she had to be smart. “Shutting down all non critical systems to conserve power. Not sure how much juice the emergency thruster will need to bring back to the surface.” The thought of only making it half way back up before it- Shepard gulped and continued forward, trying to push the image of her clawing from the inside of the hatch struggling for air out her mind. “Can’t worry about that now. Getting some strange readings from below. Somethings definitely down there. One more drop. Just one more.”   
Shepard admired the tall impressive rock structures as she floated downward once again. She landed on the ledge of one of the underwater towers. She smiled triumphantly locating the probe, still well intact. As Shepard walked forwards, the whole ocean rumbled and an army of bubbles rose as if they were fleeing.   
“The hell is that?!” Shepard felt her spirit leave her body as she watched something rise from black depths. It was a massive thing. Larger than the reaper ships. It felt as though it were the size of the sun itself. What Shepard presumed to be the expansive creature's face looked at her with six colossal blue eyes, a similar colour to the artifact orb. The smallest eyes were the size of Shepard’s mech.   
“You have come too far.” It’s low voice made her head ache.   
“I had to find you.”   
“This is not your domain. You have breached the darkness.”   
Her head hurt worse with every syllable. She almost wanted to stop her interrogation. One minute she was in the mech the next she was on the ground, unable to collect air in her lungs. She looked at the Doctor in confusion. But it wasn’t the doctor. It was the Leviathan. In her head. The thought of it digging around her head was more uncomfortable than the ache in her skull.   
“The reapers know where you are. You can’t just watch anymore- You have to fight. Even if you survive the battle today, the reapers won’t stop. Ever. Release me and we have a chance to end this once and for all.” Shepard said with the same determination as the speeches to her soldiers. It paused as though contemplating, but then disappeared. Did she fail? Was she going to be trapped here forever and would Tali, Cortez, and Garrus eventually succumb to the zombies?   
“It is clear why the reapers perceive you as a threat. Your victories are more than a product of chance. We will fight, but not for you, or any lesser race. We were the first, the apex race. And we will survive.” Shepard was relieved. “Today, we pay the reapers tribute in their blood.” Shepard’s eyes sprang open. She sat in the mech, her head pounded and she felt nauseous and dizzy. Something warm and sticky dripped rapidly out her nose and down her mouth. But that didn’t matter, she quickly pressed the emergency thrusters, the mech took off, not helping the nausea one bit.   
As she rocketed toward the surface she heard a crack and saw the splintered glass grow. Thankfully, she was at 95 meters. Any deeper and the whole mech would have crushed her like a tin can. Though the water was gushing in at a steady pace. It didn’t take long before it was to her waist. She struggled to take a deep breath before the thing was submerged. Shepard held her exhale inside her. The icy water had engulfed her, draining any bit of warmth in her body. Unable to hold any longer, Shepard took a small breath, only to take in the frigid salt water in her windpipes. Her lungs burned, but she forced herself to hold it. An agonising amount of time went by until she felt the mech’s familiar walking motion. She pushed herself down to reach the controls, but the water only pushed her back up. She used her fingertips to feel along the glass. She found the crack and balled her fist. One, two, three, four, five, six punches and the glass shattered entirely. The water drained enough for Shepard to get down to slam the button to open the hatch, the mech throwing up the water. Shepard had remained, the water acting as adhesive to her seat. She careened forward to step down, but realized she was on the ground. She peered up and saw two enormous metal creatures swatting the cybernetic zombies away like flies. She didn’t know why, but she needed to go toward them.   
Shepard didn’t stay sprawled for long as she attempted to stand, still spitting mouthfuls of water. But she was simply too dizzy and disoriented and she stumbled only a few more steps before she fell to her knees. Even when her elbows smacked the wet ground, Shepard stubbornly tried to stand again. The two large metal monstrosities paused to look at her. Shepard’s head screamed and she felt more blood stream from her nose. She saw the Leviathan’s hulking frame burning a whole in her head. Without warning, one punched the other. Shepard struggled, rolling on her side. The sound of gunshots reverberated against her skull.   
Without warning Shepard felt her arm hook around someone’s neck. She could make out the blurry silhouette of a turian. Her turian. Garrus practically dragged her forward.   
“Shepard’s back, Cortez, talk to me!”   
“We’re good to go! I don’t know what the Commander did, but the pulse is offline.” Shepard hung on to consciousness, allowing Garrus to duck and maneuver around the flying bits of scrap metal from the monster fight they fled from. Tali covered them as Garrus ran past her and lifted Shepard into the open shuttle. Shepard couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. She couldn’t fill her lungs properly and her head was on fire. All she could see was the massive Leviathan before everything went black.   
Shepard felt a firm pressure on her chest.   
“Commander, wake up! Damnit, she’s freezing!” She felt the pressure once more and she lurched up, coughing and spluttering up a mixture of seawater and blood. She geedily sucked in air to her lungs. Garrus knelt beside her, his blue eyes clouded in a layer of concern.  
“You okay?” He asked. Shepard’s whole body felt numb and the room was still spinning. Her lungs were on ablaze. Her mouth was coated in a thick layer of copper and her head felt as though it had been crushed by the pressure of the ocean several times over. She nodded anyways.   
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Helluva headache.” Her speech was coherent, if a little slurred. Her lungs hurt with every word. Shepard hoisted herself on the seat behind her.   
“Never do that again.” He scolded, but his tone held far too much relief to believe there was actually much scolding behind it. Shepard wasn’t sure why, but she attempted to stand. Dots nearly flooded her vision entirely. Her knees buckled quickly, but Garrus caught her. She didn’t know why she needed to report her findings so badly. “Easy, Shepard, why would you-” Garrus paused. “Shepard, you aren’t shivering.” Tali observed the pasty complexion on Shepard’s normally tan skin.   
“Isn’t that good?” She said as Garrus scanned Shepard with his omni tool. He’d never been so happy he’d enjoyed field medic training and always looked to learn more about it. “What temperature are humans supposed to be?” Tali asked, looking at the number on his omni tool back to Shepard, the concern evident in her tone.   
“I need dry clothes and blankets. Now.” Garrus placed a hand on Shepard’s icy skin. She looked exhausted. As though she were ready to lay down and take a nap. Alarm spread through the turian as Shepard let her eyes linger closed. He quickly shook her and her eyes snapped back open. “Shepard! No, don’t go to sleep. You hear me? You aren’t shivering. That means your body is so cold it can’t warm you. Still with me?” He explained slowly and carefully. Shepard nodded, now clearly trying to stay awake.   
“Sorry.” she mumbled. Garrus almost laughed. She was apologizing to him? He used the omni tool a few more times, to confirm her lungs were void of water and to keep track of her body temperature. 75 degrees? He wasn’t so sure how long Shepard could hold on. Tali returned empty handed.  
“This is just a shuttle, I can’t find anything!” She said with a desperate frustration, putting a hand on Shepard’s forearm. Cortez shouted from the driver's seat.   
“How’s the Commander doing?!”   
“Not good! How close are we to Normandy?!” Garrus said.  
“Couple minutes!” He said. Tali stood.   
“Radio ahead to Chakawas!” She said. Garrus nodded in agreement, seeing Shepard slump further in her seat.   
“Have her on stand by with warm dry clothes and blankets! Tell her Shepard has hypothermia!” Garrus put a hand on Shepard’s cold white cheek. She’d been fighting the weights attached on her eyelids for sometime. He needed to keep her awake. “I told you it was a bad idea.” Garrus tried to make his tone light. Shepard snorted.   
“Gotus outofthere, didnI?” The last two words slurred together and it took Garrus a moment to comprehend them.   
“You did. You always do.”  
“Shouldnhavedoubtedme, Vakarian.” She smiled weakly. Tali picked up Shepard’s weapon as the shuttle slowed to a halt. Garrus scooped up the Commander. The doors slid open, Chakwas had been waiting with her arms crossed, but held a few blankets. Her arms slackened when she saw Shepard’s small pale body. She had expected Shepard to walk out and the two of them to make fun of Garrus for being so dramatic. Not this.   
Chakwas and Garrus stripped Shepard out of her soggy armour and rinsed her off. They decided Shepard was in and out of consciousness too much to risk an actual shower or bath. She changed into a warm dry n7 shirt and sweatpants. Then bundled Shepard up and kept her company while they discussed how to rewarm Shepard.   
“Skin to skin contact? If she doesn’t start shivering within twenty minutes let me know. I figure she’d probably be more comfortable with you. I will warm up some more blankets to cycle through once those get cold.” Chakwas instructed. Garrus put on one of Shepard’s favourite movies, to encourage her to stay awake with the want to pay attention to it. He took off his own shirt and pulled Shepard’s icy torso to him under the blankets.   
“Are yousure there’sno ulterior motives forthis?” Shepard joked as she let her frozen cheek rest on his bare chest. He made sure the blankets covered her neck as well. Garrus smiled.   
“Ulterior motives? No. Would I be lying if this method of treatment didn’t contain certain benefits? Yes.” He said, holding her in his arms. Garrus thought about how long Shepard had been underwater in that mech. The minutes that turned into hours, not knowing when, or even if, Shepard would come back. The fear that had made his throat tighten with every shot he took, wondering how many more until Shepard was back. Garrus subconsciously pulled her tighter. He pressed a kiss in her cold curls and held it there for a few moments.   
“Relax, Garrus. It’s justascratch.” She smiled up at him. Garrus appeared frustrated that the smile was contagious.  
“Always is.” He added.   
Nearly fifteen minutes into the movie, Shepard began to shiver under the blankets. He knew this was a good thing. However, the violent tremors felt far more alarming. On the other hand, she was no longer fighting fatigue, since the aggressive shudders kept her awake. Once the movie was over, Garrus used his omni tool to look her over. She was 92 degrees. Low, but much better.   
“Good thing turians run hot.” Shepard said.   
“107 degrees is ours. Like yours is 98.6.” Garrus said, curling back up with Shepard.   
“Isn’t that the same as birds?” She giggled. Garrus revelled in the beautiful sound. Shepard put her hand on his chest. Garrus placed his own on top. Her hands were so small. And it was still so cold. He gingerly caressed it with his finger and the two of them were silent. “I was so scared down there, Garrus.” She whispered.   
“I know. That’s why you’re the bravest woman I know. Even when you’re terrified of something, you walk right through it anyways.” He said. The confidence in his voice almost made Shepard believe him. He should have thought more about that. However scared he’d been for Shepard when the comm’s went out had to be tripled for her. He looked down at her and was rewarded with a smile that should’ve warmed her whole body back to its correct temperature in an instant.   
“I love you, Garrus.”   
“I love you too, Shepard.” He pressed his lips back on her head and closed his eyes. He’d made sure Shepard was okay. He could finally relax with her, drinking in the comfort of her weight in his arms. “But seriously, never do that again.”


End file.
